Venue now Banking on a doubling of its size
Local Democracy Reporter
A NEWCASTLE city centre bar looks set to double in size after council bosses dropped concerns over noise.
The Bank, in the city’s gay quarter, is planning to take over the empty building next door to it in Scotswood Road – doubling its capacity as part of a £500,000 refurbishment project.
Newcastle City Council chiefs had raised fears that an expansion of the ‘Pink Triangle’ venue, plus a proposed half-hour extension of its alcohol sales licence to 2am, could create a noise nightmare for nearby residents.
However, councillors were told at a licensing hearing on Wednesday that objections from the council’s licensing authority and environmental health department had been dropped after the bar’s owners agreed to new measures to protect its neighbours – though some locals are still opposed to the extension plans, which they are worried will add to “incredible” noise in the area.
The mitigation measures include capping the capacity of a new roof terrace above the extension at 45 people and banning music from being played in the entirety of the outdoor zone, while customers will also be stopped from entering or leaving via the bar’s front door after 1am.
Copenhagen 1801 Ltd, which also runs Powerhouse and Boulevard, also agreed to surrender the licence of another nearby gay bar, Sunset Blvd, to make up for the added impact of doubling The Bank’s capacity from 110 to 220.
Barrister Sarah Smith told the council’s licensing sub-committee that Sunset Blvd’s capacity is 174, so the changes would in fact reduce the number of people in the area, though objectors claimed that the venue had not been open regularly for some time.
Ms Smith said that The Bank is “not a nightclub and does not seek to be a nightclub” and that opening for an extra half an hour would have very little impact on residents, given that it is a busy part of the city with multiple bars and clubs.
She added: “The proposed investment in renovating and extending the site will be more than £500,000. That will bring a rundown, closed premises back into use and will enhance the existing Bank building which needs a little bit of TLC.
“It will bring employment to an additional 20 staff at least and enhance an already popular and successful business which attracts local people and those from outside the region, promoting tourism in the city.”
Angela Wallis of the council’s environmental health team said there had been potential for “substantial noise nuisance” from the plans originally lodged for the extension, but withdrew her concerns after negotiations with the applicant resulted in the “very robust” mitigation measures.
But city centre resident Chris Noble told the committee that night-time noise around the Pink Triangle had gone “through the roof” in recent years”, and had regularly woken him up between 2am and 4am.
Fellow neighbour Duncan Cooper added that “incredible” noise could be heard from The Bank, including “screaming and shouting”.
He said: “Unfortunately that is part of the night-time economy; it is out there and there is not a lot we can do about that. They do have notices outside saying ‘show a bit of respect for residents,’ but for anybody who comes out of there on a night out it is almost impossible.
“In the pandemic we have realised how much noise we have put up with.”
The council is due to issue a decision on whether to grant The Bank’s licence application within five working days.